Quickie Care Instructions

Enzyme-free detergent *highly* recommended. Cold rinse, cold or warm wash, low-heat or air dry. No high temperature wash cycles, no bleach, no fabric softeners.If you use an HE washer at extremely hot temps it will shrink the wool. Using a "sanitary cycle" will cause shrinkage and void your warranty!

Expanded Care Instructions

Before First Use:

Fussybutt Moonbow pads are sewn with fabric that has been pre-washed and pre-shrunk, but it is still recommended that you wash your new pads before the first wear. Please wash all dyed items separately from other items for the first wash. After that, it is fine to include dyed items with the rest of your colored laundry. You should never include dyed pads and undyed fabrics in the same load of laundry if you care about keeping your undyed fabrics bright and non-dingy.

Rinsing Pads:

After each use, rinse pad in cold water until the water runs clear and any blood spots have been rinsed off. After rinsing, some women prefer to soak their pads in water until they are ready to do pad laundry. You can also add a few drops of tea tree oil to the soak water. Make sure to change the soak water daily, and keep the soak container sealed and out of reach of children! If you do not wish to soak your pads after rinsing, it's best to try and wash the pads within 24 hours to avoid mildew.

Pad Laundry:

Although not our recommended method, if you wish to wash your pads with a load of cloth diapers it’s fine to do so, but avoid washing in extremely high temperatures. Never wash your wool-backed items in an extra-hot "Sanitary Cycle!"

Many customers wash their rinsed pads with their daily clothing laundry with no problems. If you plan to wash your pads with clothing, remember not to use fabric softeners or bleach in the load. When you are ready to launder your pads, it may be a good idea – though not absolutely necessary – to run the pads through a cold rinse or a pre-wash to remove any remaining stains. Afterward, run a full cycle on cold, using a small amount of enzyme-free detergent. Heat will set protein stains such as blood, so you should avoid washing cloth pads in hot water. Washing on cold will also save money on energy and prevent fabric from fading.

You might prefer to air dry to conserve energy, but drying your pads in the dryer is perfectly fine as well. Avoid using fabric softener, bleach, or Oxi-Clean on your pads as this can cause a loss of absorbency, degrade the natural fabrics, and irritate skin.

Lanolizing:

The natural lanolin content of wool is one of the most important features of this fabric when it comes to water resistance. Repeated washing can gradually strip wool of lanolin, so if you begin to notice a decrease in the absorbency of your pads, you may choose to refresh wool with a spray lanolin (like Naturally Luxe's Conditioning Lanolin Spray.)

For best results, refer to manufacturer's instructions on how to use your spray lanolin - treat only the wool layer of your pad, avoid spraying the top absorbent layers. If making your own spray lanolin or don't have instructions, try as follows: Spray lanolin onto clean wool (wool can be wet or dry) and gently pat or rub in. Be sure you only treat the wool side of the pads with the spray lanolin; do not treat bamboo, cotton, or hemp layers. Allow pad to air dry, wool side up, before using again.

Stain Removal:

The sun will lighten most stains but it can also bleach out colored fabric, so use your judgment when placing dyed pads in direct sunlight. Sunning may be best reserved for undyed pads.

If you end up with persistent stains, try a paste made with baking soda and a little water. Apply baking soda paste to stained areas and gently work the stains with your fingers. Let the pad sit for 10 to 15 minutes, rinse out the baking soda, then wash and dry before using again.